OLDS — The Donna and Glen Coonfer Memorial Garden was dedicated May 27 during the Mountain View Museum & Archives’ (MVMA) Spring Fling celebration.
The event began with a short play in which local residents depicted historical figures who had lived at the time of the founding of Olds at the turn of the last century.
In the play, they came for tea, and related some of the history behind their arrival in the community.
Just before the memorial garden was dedicated, Kevin Coonfer, son of the late Donna and Glen, spoke about his parents, their passion for the MVMA as well as gardening.
Kevin thanked the Olds Historical Society for making the dedication possible.
He noted that his parents were both very active and passionate members of the community, volunteering their time in many areas, from church to Communities In Bloom.
Donna was a dedicated nurse and former board member of the Olds Historical Society.
Glen farmed and worked for about 35 years as a carpenter and locksmith at Olds College. He also farmed with his father-in-law and helped his neighbours repair farming equipment.
Kevin and other speakers remarked on how much the Coonfers loved gardening and that Donna had led the charge to create the garden.
“My parents’ pride in being members of this remarkable community cannot be overstated,” Kevin said.
“Both sides of our family – the Coonfers and the Reids – have deep-rooted connections here, interwoven into the tapestry of our town’s history.”
He said the garden “stands as a touching tribute, acknowledging the contributions my mom and dad made to the fabric of this town.”
Several town council members were in attendance, including mayor Judy Dahl and councillors Heather Ryan, Wanda Blatz and Darren Wilson.
Dahl said the garden reflects those that would have been planted earlier in Olds’ history.
She noted it also features a heritage bench donated by the Robb family.
As the sign was unveiled, Olds Historical Society chair Donna Erdman described the Coonfers as “excellent” examples of volunteers and supporters.
She noted that the sign contains Donna’s original plan for the garden. Some of the plants she decided to plant in it are still there as is the Thunderchild crab apple tree that Glen planted.
“The Olds Historical Society is extremely pleased to dedicate this garden to our volunteers as the Donna and Glen Coonfer Memorial Heritage Garden,” Erdman said.
“We are extremely proud to be able to add this (sign) to our garden and make it a place that everybody can come and visit.”
After the sign was unveiled, those attending the ceremony toured the garden and museum.
Erdman noted the current exhibit in the museum depicts life in the 1950s.
“There are lots of things that a lot of us recognize a little too clearly,” she said, sparking some laughter.
Archivist and collections assistant Gerda Vester said the 1950s exhibit will likely remain up until the end of the year, after which another new exhibit will be set up.
"We want people to keep coming back and going ‘oh yeah, I was here 30 years ago and I saw the same thing,’” she said.
Attendees were also encouraged to buy a brick.
That campaign is aimed at raising $45,000 -- the estimated cost to construct a building linking the museum to a former garage which now serves as an educational centre for the museum and archives.
As of May 27, $9,000 had been raised.
Bricks range in price from $25 to $1,000. Donors can have their names or dedications to loved ones inscribed on plaques that will installed inside the link building.
Chantal Marchildon, the manager and program coordinator at the MVMA, would like to raise at least $20,000 in the hope that a matching grant can then be obtained from senior levels of government.
“It would be nice if we got there by next summer,” Chantal said. “We’ll have to wait and see. We’re getting there.”
Erdman urged people to help out with the museum, saying there seems to have been a drop-off in volunteers, especially since COVID.
She also called on people to donate items to the museum and archives.
“We're really trying to get people to come and bring things in, rather than going into grandma’s closet and just throwing everything out,” Erdman said.
“Consider the pictures, the letters, the documents that you might not want anymore but might be of incredible value to us.”
